Maltese tear stains are caused by porphyrin — an iron-containing pigment in tears that turns rust-red when it dries on white fur. In most Maltese it is cosmetic, the result of tears overflowing onto the face rather than eye disease. Wiping the face twice a day, keeping hair trimmed away from the eyes, and switching to filtered water prevents most of it. Sudden staining with squinting, odour or coloured discharge is a vet visit, not a home remedy.
Why the Maltese Stains More Than Other Breeds
Three things stack against this breed. The coat is pure white, so a pigment that would be invisible on a brown dog is obvious. The eyes are large and set relatively shallow, so tears spill over the lower lid instead of draining through the tear duct. And the long facial hair wicks moisture sideways across the cheeks, spreading a small amount of tearing into a wide stain.
None of this means your Maltese is unwell. Veterinary sources are consistent that most dogs with tear staining have normal tears and no underlying eye problem — the issue is drainage and anatomy, not disease.
What Actually Causes Tear Stains
Porphyrin is the pigment. What varies is how much tear fluid ends up on the face — a condition vets call epiphora — and that has several possible causes:
- Hair irritating the eye — the most common and most fixable cause in a Maltese.
- Narrow or blocked tear ducts, which small breeds are prone to from birth.
- Ingrown or extra eyelashes (distichiasis) and inward-rolling eyelids (entropion).
- Allergies — environmental or food-related, with chicken, beef, dairy and wheat among the common triggers.
- Teething, which causes a temporary surge in tearing in puppies between four and six months.
- Ear or dental infections, which refer irritation to the eye area.
- Dust and air pollution. Delhi NCR vets report a clear rise in irritated, watery eyes in pets during smog season, and dogs sit low to the ground where particulate concentration is highest.
Porphyrin Stain or Infection? How to Tell
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Rust-red or brown streak, no smell, dog comfortable | Porphyrin staining | Home routine below |
| Damp brown fur with a yeasty, musty smell | Yeast overgrowth in the wet fold | Vet — needs treatment, not wipes |
| Yellow or green discharge, crusting | Infection | Vet, same week |
| Squinting, redness, pawing at the face | Pain — ulcer, lash or foreign body | Vet, urgently |
| Sudden heavy staining in a dog who never had it | Something changed | Vet |
Odour is the single most useful signal. Porphyrin staining does not smell. If the fur under your Maltese’s eyes smells, the problem is microbial and belongs to a vet.
Prevention: The Daily Routine That Works
Prevention beats removal, because stained hair does not un-stain — it has to grow out. The goal is to stop tears sitting on the fur long enough to oxidise.
- Wipe twice daily. A soft cloth or cotton pad dampened with warm water or sterile saline, morning and evening. Ten seconds per eye.
- Dry the fold afterwards. Damp fur is where both staining and yeast take hold. This step is the one most owners skip.
- Keep the hair short around the eyes. Ask your groomer for a face trim every four to six weeks so nothing touches the eyeball.
- Switch to filtered or RO water. Delhi NCR tap water is hard, and mineral content is widely believed to worsen staining. It is a cheap change with no downside.
- Use a stainless steel or ceramic bowl, washed daily. Plastic scratches and harbours bacteria.
- Review the diet if staining is heavy. A limited-ingredient food, added omega-3s and no artificial colourants are the standard first steps — do this with your vet rather than by guesswork.
Grooming Through Delhi’s Dust and Monsoon
Two seasons make this worse locally. Through October to January smog, walk when the AQI is lowest, wipe the face when you come home, and add a midday eye wipe. Through the monsoon, humidity keeps the facial fold damp and yeast thrives — dry the face after every walk and keep the muzzle hair a little shorter than usual from June to September.
Safe Home Remedies
For a routine cosmetic stain, the safe list is short and boring, which is the point:
- Warm water and a soft cloth, wiping outward and away from the eye.
- Sterile saline eye wash made for pets, for crusted material.
- A fine flea comb to lift dried crust out of the hair, worked gently, never pulled.
- A thin barrier of petroleum jelly or coconut oil along the stained hair below the eye — not in the eye — to stop fresh tears soaking in.
- Visible improvement comes as the stained hair grows out over several weeks, not overnight.
What Not to Put Near Your Maltese’s Eyes
This is where home remedies go wrong. Avoid:
- Hydrogen peroxide. It circulates widely as a whitening tip. Veterinary guidance is not to use it near the eyes — the risk of corneal damage is not worth a cosmetic gain.
- Vinegar, lemon juice or bleach-based whiteners anywhere on the face. Apple cider vinegar is sometimes suggested as a food additive; that is a different thing from putting it near an eye.
- Human makeup remover, wipes with alcohol or fragrance, and human eye drops.
- Homemade boric acid solutions. Concentration errors are easy and the eye is unforgiving.
- Antibiotic-containing “tear stain removers.” The FDA issued warning letters in 2014 to companies selling products containing tylosin tartrate, which is not approved for use in dogs or cats. Products like these still circulate online. Do not give your dog an antibiotic for a cosmetic problem.
When to See a Vet
Book an appointment for sudden or rapidly worsening staining, any yellow or green discharge, odour, squinting, redness, swelling, or staining that does not improve after four to six weeks of consistent home care. A vet can flush a blocked tear duct, check for ingrown lashes, and rule out the conditions that genuinely need treatment. Tear staining is usually cosmetic — but it is worth one visit to confirm that, especially in a puppy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I remove tear stains from a Maltese permanently?
You cannot bleach existing stains out safely. Stained hair grows out over four to eight weeks, so the fix is preventing new staining — daily wiping, a dry face, trimmed eye hair and filtered water — while the marked hair is trimmed away over successive grooms.
Are Maltese tear stains a sign of illness?
Usually not. Most cases are porphyrin from normal tears overflowing due to eye shape. Illness is more likely when staining appears suddenly, smells, or comes with coloured discharge or squinting.
Does changing water really help tear stains?
Many owners see improvement after switching to filtered, RO or distilled water. The evidence is largely anecdotal rather than clinical, but it is harmless and inexpensive, so it is a reasonable early step.
Can I use hydrogen peroxide on Maltese tear stains?
Better not to. Some sources suggest a heavily diluted solution, but veterinary advice is to keep hydrogen peroxide away from the eye area. Warm water or a pet-safe saline wipe does the same job without the risk.
At what age do Maltese puppies start getting tear stains?
Often around four to six months, during teething, when tear production temporarily increases. Staining that begins then frequently settles once the adult teeth are through.
Ask Us Before You Worry
At The Barking Babies, we have guided over 15,000 Indian families through their first year with a puppy since 2001, and tear stains are one of the most common early worries — usually a grooming routine question rather than a health one. Every puppy goes home with an adoption kit, breed-specific care guidance and lifetime support, so you always have someone to send the photo to.
